Endless Legacy
by Tyrant Yoshitsuna
Summary: Another story unfolds, a variant of a Legend from another world. A young man will find his place in Remnant and fulfill what Destiny has in store for him there. But first comes his new family. ((A story with heavy elements from Capcom's Breath of Fire Series; Third and Fourth specifically.))
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a dragon, a great and terrible beast to behold. Majestic and terrifying, it dwarfed the mountains and touched the sky when it would hold its head high. Its claws were sharp and massive, scraping the earth with each step and digging pits as big as lakes. Its voice, powerful and daunting, could shake the heavens and make the world tremble.

But this beast meant the world no harm. With forlorn eyes it would look at the vast horizon before it and feel nothing. It did not wish for destruction. It did not wish for prosperity. It's only wish was for the world leave it be.

So this beast laid it's head on the ground and slept, letting time pass by and allowing the world to heal from when it walked the earth.

Centuries passed, and the world was quiet. Plants and animals grew in abundance in the absence of the dragon. Soon, the inhabitants in the world began to forget.

More time passed, and the peace continued. One little bird sang in joy as it soared across the open skies, greeting it's fellows as it passed by. After a while, however, it grew tired and landed on a branch. It chose that moment to rest while basking in the rays of the sun.

Then the tree shook, startling the bird. It flapped its wings and hovered over the branch until the shaking ceased. It tilted its head in confusion when it landed on the branch again.

The bird looked at the ground below, wondering what caused the shaking. There was no other animal there that it saw. It flew down on the ground and hopped in a circle, feeling no changes in the earth. Once more it tilted its head.

Then it saw something in the distance, something massive and huge. Bigger than any oak that it saw in its life was a massive red orb. The orb shifted slightly before disappearing in the shadows of the mountain.

Now the bird took notice. It was in a forest on a mountain, or, at least, on one of the sierra nearby. It grew curious and flew to the shadows of the mountain. When it reached the shadows it saw no orb, only a cave. Inside was a wall shaded by the lip of the cavern.

The bird flew to the wall and chirped at it curiously. It landed on the ground and saw nothing odd about the wall of rock, but even then it began to chirp at the surface. When nothing happened the bird started pecking at the rock.

The wall shook.

The bird gave a startled cry before flying back. The rock wall, then, began to move. The surface began to rise, higher and higher to the ceiling before stopping half way. Behind the wall was the massive orb, now only partially revealed.

The bird landed before it, and the orb shifted down. The bird now saw that what it was looking at was no surface, or a moving rock. It was an Eye.

It was a big red eye with an elongated slit in the middle.

The bird tilted its head curiously at the eye before chirping, "Hello."

The ground rumbled and the bird flapped its wings. It heard many crashes in the distance away, like many trees falling at once. Then the bird heard a voice, loud and deep, yet tired as if only rousing in the morning.

"Hello." the massive voice said.

The bird tilted its head, hopping to the side where the eye followed. Then it asked, "What are you?"

The massive eye looked at the little creature before it, wondering how long it had been since it saw something ever come that close to it. "A dragon." the voice said. "Leave, little one, for I fear that if you stay any longer your life be in peril."

The bird tilted its head and asked, "Why?"

The ground shook once again, and a massive gust of wind could be heard in the distance similar to a huff. "I am a dragon." the voice said, "Great and Powerful, I am. Many terrifying acts can I commit, willingly and not. Lives doth perish in my presence, leaving only calamity and devastation."

The bird tilted its head and asked, "Why?"

The massive eye blinked once, looking that the little creature curiously. "I am a dragon." the voice repeated, "My size is too great for even the tallest of mountains. My steps leave naught but pits for many to fall to their deaths. Flee now, little one, for I fear for your life."

"I am a bird," said the tiny creature, flapping its wings. "I will not fall. Why do you want me to leave when I can fly over pits?"

Another gust of wind in the distance, this time prolonged. Like a massive sigh, the winds continued until it died. "You will die, this I can promise." the voice said with a great weight on its tone, a sadness that was difficult to ignore. "I am a dragon. Many things have come before me and many things of equal number have perished. No one can overcome my size, no one has managed to stand against my claws, and all fall before the power of my voice."

There was another long gust in the distance, another sigh.

"I am a Dragon." the voice said. "I am great and powerful. So Great am I, and so Powerful I am… that no one could ever stand by my side."

The bird tilted its head, looking at the eye as it stared into the distance. The sun was in the horizon, and the land was at peace. The eye stared longingly, for what the bird did not know.

"Mister Dragon," the bird sang, "Why do you sound so sad?"

The one massive eye of the dragon stared at the sky for a little longer before it shifted down back to the little creature before it. "I am a Dragon." the massive voice said, "I seek and hoard the greatest and most beautiful treasure in the land. When I obtain it, I guard it jealously against anyone and everything that wish for it."

The bird tilted its head in confusion as it looked at the eye. "Mister Dragon," it sang, "Where is your treasure?"

There was another long gust in the distance, another sigh.

"Gone." said the dragon, its voice full of mourning. "My beautiful Treasure is gone."

* * *

 _Legends, stories of old told and romanticized for the pleasure of those who indulge in them. A great many of them have been tampered with to suit the modern times. The darker and more gruesome of tales were revised and made more… tolerating for younger audiences._

 _Some tales have lost their meaning…_

 _Other tales have gained more depth…_

 _One thing, however, is for certain: Stories change the more time passes regardless of their intended narrative._

 _…but is that so wrong?_

* * *

I woke up in pain, my body burning as if on fire. I could barely open my eyes. I saw a blue sky directly in front of me, with no cloud in sight. I tried to move any part of my body, but everything felt numb despite the pain.

I didn't know how long I stayed there, staring at the sky, but I saw the beginnings of the night coming in when I heard something coming closer.

"Thump, thump, thump," it went; the sound of heavy footsteps. They were coming closer, closer to where I laid. When it finally came in front of my vision I thought for a moment that it was a wolf, but there was a glaring difference between it and the canine.

This one's face was covered in a bone-like mask, and its fur was as black as the abyss. Odd drawings in red were painted on its bone-like structure, like markings of a tribe that I didn't know. It looked at me, staring at me with its blood-red sockets. It had no eyes, just sockets filled with red. It reared back, standing on its hind legs. It gave me a better profile of what it looked like.

Its features looked similar to a Werewolf; Human in stature, yet feral and vicious like a wolf in both appearance and personality. It was looking at me like a rabid beast… though it gave off a feeling of absolute hate towards me. I can't tell for what reason, but I knew one thing as it loomed over my body.

It was going to kill me.

My heart started pounding faster in my chest. Nerves started burning hotter and more painful inside my body. I tried to move, but only succeeded in making a finger twitch.

I was going to die.

A tiny whimper escaped my lips, both from my helplessness and my coming demise. I didn't even know where I was, and I was already going to die a painful death.

I tried to reach for the energy that I knew was inside me, one that I've trained with for so many years. But something was wrong, I couldn't touch it. It was like trying to dip my hand in a raging rapid, where its strength alone would slap against me and expel me away. In doing so it caused a reaction.

The pain all over my body spiked. My muscles tensed and went rigid. My back arched as the pain bounced around inside me, way beyond the amount I could tolerate, before slamming back down to the ground. My eyes went wide as my mouth parted to a silent scream.

The Werewolf monster roared to the sky. I started gasping for breathes, my heart beating loudly in my chest. Even with the fear, even with the adrenaline, even with my will to live, my body just _did_ **_not MOVE_**!

I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to die.

I closed my eyes and braced for the pain. I heard the beast lunge, I heard the whistle of the wind, and then I waited for the inevitable.

…

…

…but it never came.

With my heart still beating loudly, I cracked one eye open to see what was stopping my death. There, I saw my guardian garbed in white, the Werewolf beast cut in twain before them. They turned towards me, their eyes glinting in silver under the gloom of the twilight evening.

It was a woman under a white, hooded cloak. Her skin was pale, but not unhealthy. Her stance was strong; ready and alert. I couldn't see the weapon that she held that cleaved the beast in two, but I knew from first glance that this woman was dangerous with or without it.

She was very beautiful.

Our eyes met for a moment and I saw concern dancing within them. I couldn't do much, other than blink. Then she turned towards our surroundings. I didn't know what she was seeing, my angle on the ground kept me from staring at anything else but up.

The woman seemed to relax slightly before turning back to me. I heard an odd sound coming from under her cloak, something mechanical and moving. Then it disappeared, along with the bulge inside the cloak that I assumed was her weapon.

She kneeled beside me, and touched my face. I saw the relief ease the tension of her shoulders as she sighed. Then her mouth moved and she spoke to me, her voice soft and caring.

"Thank goodness I made it in time."

* * *

I was taken to a hospital, and I was still unable to move. The woman was still talking to the doctor who examined me, and from what I could tell from their tone they also didn't know what was wrong with my body.

That was disheartening, true, and I was still in burning pain, but those were the least of my worries at the moment. I found out something about myself that took precedence above those two problems.

I shrunk.

I shrunk to the size of a small child.

I was definitely not a child, whatsoever, but from the way the woman carried me here, I noticed how smaller I was compared to her. Not only that, but from what I saw as we passed a mirror I've actually turned back into an actual child.

My hands were tiny. My body was scrawny. My face was round. I don't know what happened to me, but I looked like somewhere between seven to ten years old.

This was a very troubling predicament.

The woman and the doctor came into the room, their faces were calm. They were most likely trying to keep me from worrying too much.

"Hello, young man." the doctor said, smiling kindly at me. The only response that I could give him was a blink. "Can you talk?"

I grimaced and tried to open my mouth. I managed to move my jaw, but the only thing that came out of my throat was a long drawling note. It wasn't even a word, just a long sound that stemmed from the pain.

The doctor sighed and shook his head, turning to the woman. "I can't really tell what's wrong, but I can give you some educated guesses."

The woman in white nodded before she walked towards the side of my bed. She smiled, trying to comfort me, but like the doctor I could only blink at her. "Can you tell me what you think is happening, doctor?" she said, turning to the man.

"I don't think we should do that in the child's presence." said the doctor, looking uncertain. "We don't want to cause him any more unnecessary stress."

"Maybe…" the woman conceded, but she turned to me and looked into my eyes. There, I found some pity and a hurt that I couldn't explain. "But trust me, doctor; not knowing what was wrong with him will be worse than a wrong guess."

I looked at the doctor and found his eyes meeting mine. I managed to grunt and blink, hoping to convey that my savior was right. Not knowing will only worry me more.

The doctor sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I believe that it's his Aura that's causing the problem, or at the very least causing him his pain."

I made a noise of confusion, catching the woman's attention. "Aura is the physical manifestation of the soul." she explained to me, "It's a type of energy that protects us and makes us strong."

I grunted, wanting to ask more of what she meant. The doctor shook his head, mildly in exasperation. "Ma'am, we don't even know if he understands us."

I gave the doctor a look, managing to at least twitch my lips downward into a small frown. The woman by my side laughed slightly, hand coming up to her mouth. "I think he understands us well enough, doctor." she said, "Now, if you would continue what you were saying?"

The doctor sighed, but nodded nonetheless. "As I've said, the problem may lie in his Aura being awakened." he said, "You told me that you found him in the outskirts of Vale, correct? Also, you said that there were signs of battle around the boy. Not to mention that you also said that there was a small crater around him."

The woman nodded, and I also grunted in agreement. The place where I had been looked like there was someone there, fighting something. Perhaps it was one of those Werewolf beasts, but the lack of corpse of its victim left me confused.

"If I'm not wrong with my guess," the doctor continued, "The crater was made by him." he said as he pointed at me. "His Aura must have awakened under the stress caused by the Grimm in the area, thus creating the crater."

The woman knitted her brows in confusion. "But, doctor, that sounds…"

"Impossible, I know." The man said, holding his hand up to stop the woman from saying anything else. "Please bear with me as I finish. The reason for the crater and his condition could actually be caused by his Aura simply being too large to be contained in his small body."

The woman blinked at the man, leaning back with an expression of incredulity on her face. "… I still find that hard to believe, doctor."

"Trust me, I know." the man said, rubbing his face tiredly. "But I can't really think of anything else to explain his condition. His scans show that he's a healthy young boy. No injuries were found, no internal complications, not even signs of illness were found in his blood."

"Yet he's still in pain." the woman said, reaching out to place her hand on my forehead. I blinked at her and sighed contentedly when she started brushing her fingers through my hair.

"This made me think that the problem lies deeper than flesh." the doctor concluded, "His body is trying to adapt to his Aura, and is changing as we speak."

Come to think of it, the pain that I was feeling was more tolerable now than when I first woke up. Still, even though that was explained I couldn't move my body any more than just a few twitches.

"How about his parents?" the woman asked, "His relatives? Did you find out who he is?"

"No matches were found, I'm afraid." the doctor said, "We didn't find anything in our records, or even in other hospitals. Not even in our registered Hunter list did we find any. It might be that they were simply not registered, or he could be from outside the walls. Nonetheless, we couldn't find anything about him."

And you never will, of that I'm sure. From everything that I've heard so far, I'm no longer in my world. Aura, Grimm, and this city that they called Vale; these words meant nothing to me. The place that I came from had monsters, yes, but none of them were ever generalized as Grimm. We simply called them Monsters, nothing more.

There was also this Aura, this manifestation of the Soul. We didn't have that. Back where I came from we had a similar energy, but there we called it Magic.

I was in a different world altogether.

"I may as well notify the authorities of his presence." the doctor said as he moved closer to the door. "It's not that uncommon to find orphans from outside the kingdom. We'll be sure that he will be well taken care of."

My heart made another loud thump in my chest. I looked at the doctor and felt a sense of panic. Of why, I can't tell. My eyes turned to the woman by my bed, and I blinked when I found her looking at me intently with a small frown on her face.

"Wait a second, doctor." she said, halting the man just as he was about to exit the doorway. "I think… that I have another idea." She smiled at me, though I suppose that it would be better to call it a grin.

"Miss Rose," the doctor said, looking at the woman with a baffled expression on his face. "You can't possibly be thinking of taking this young man in."

"Why not?" She asked the doctor, turning her grin towards him.

"You can't simply take this boy with you." he said in exasperation, "He could have relatives looking for him. If he is with the authorities then it would be easier for them to find him there."

I made a loud grunt, getting the attention of the two people in the room. I closed my eyes in a grimace and managed to shake my head for a tiny bit, but that was all I needed to convey that there was no one out there looking for me.

"No one is looking for you?" the woman, Miss Rose, asked me. I grunted and sighed, closing my eyes. I don't think I could move my head again like that.

The doctor sighed loudly, rubbing his face again, though pressing harder this time. "I really should not allow this, I really shouldn't." he said, "But it's either I surrender him to the government, where he could disappear within the masses and be safe, or allow you, a Huntress, to take him and possibly inspire him to be a Hunter when he grows older."

The man removed his hand from his face, looking more tired than before. For a moment I thought that he had aged a couple of years in just that moment. He then looked at me before turning to the woman.

"I never said this to anyone, and I know that the Council has been trying their best so that we don't notice… but I can tell that _We_ are losing." the doctor said with a forlorn look. "Humanity is losing. The Grimm are pushing us back. Small villages outside our kingdoms are disappearing, but we can hardly do anything to stop them." He looked at me, his eyes determined. "This boy has a lot of potential, and we need more heroes to help us fight against the Grimm, more Heroes like you, Miss Rose."

"Don't let my husband hear you say that." Miss Rose said with a small smile. "He might take that as a challenge."

The doctor managed a small smile of his own before he chuckled. "I will prepare the paperwork for you to sign, Miss Rose. Please, wait here."

"Thank you, Doctor…." she trailed off.

"Jack," the man said, scratching his head and brushing his mismatched hair color; one side black and one side white. "It's Doctor Black Jack."

Miss Rose and I watched the man leave before she turned to me. She smiled cheerfully and I tried to match it with one of my own, but only managed a strained one.

"I hope you don't mind me taking you in." she said, "But seeing as you're not making any faces at me I'm going to take that as a good sign."

Miss Rose giggled, and I couldn't help but put more effort into my smile. She was a kind woman, though a bit odd. She was also strong, but caring. It made me want to know more about her.

Then she frowned, tapping her chin in thought as she looked at me. "Now, the only problem is your name." she said. "Obviously you can't tell me, and that leaves us with the problem."

I opened my mouth, and tried to move my tongue into the right angle to speak the first letter of my name. It was easy enough to say, just a single straight tone.

"What's that?" she asked, watching my lips move. "You can actually tell me?"

I smiled as I managed to make my tongue work properly for the first time since coming here. It was still difficult, but I eventually managed to tell her my name.

"Ryu…" I managed with some strain. "My… name… is… Ryu."


	2. Chapter 2

I was now, officially, the son of Summer Rose. Though there was still some paperwork that needed to be approved, Doctor Jack assured us that he would contact my new mother for the details.

At the moment we were waiting for someone else to arrive. Taiyang Xiao Long, apparently my new father. It was a pretty novel experience to have parents, for once.

I've been alive for a very long time, now. I've lived through two lifetimes, though by technicality it was three. My second life was where I was split in two, and after being brought back together the memories of my first life came crashing back.

In those lifetimes I never really had guardians. There wasn't anyone that I could call a father or a mother. I was a thief in my first life, whose earliest conscious thought was waking up in a bed and no memory of anything else that came before that.

In my second life, where my soul was split in two, I was an Emperor in one half, and an amnesiac traveler in another. I was improperly summoned using a faulty ritual and ended up being ripped in two. Thankfully I don't remember how that process was like.

Now, here I am, in Remnant and in the body of… well, come to think of it, I look almost like I did when I first woke up in my first life. The only differences that see were the eyes. There was no shine in them anymore, the kind of light the one would see in the eyes of the youth. I saw no innocence there.

It looked so wrong in the body of a child who looked like he was barely in his first decade.

I suppose that with Fou-lu's memories I shouldn't be surprised. I can't help but pity that half of me for what he went through.

" _Mami…"_

I grimaced as a sharp pain lanced through my chest. I looked down at it, expecting to find a knife buried there, but all I saw was the cloth of my hospital clothes and nothing else. I closed my eyes and tried to even out my breathing. I hadn't realized that I was almost hyperventilating.

"Ryu, are you okay?"

I turned to see Summer looking at me with concern, or I suppose I should call her Mother, but it might take some time for me to get used to that. I forced a smile on my face, trying to convey that I was fine. "It's nothing. I just remembered something that I didn't want to."

Her expression softened and she sat down on the bed, by my side, to pull me into a hug. Thankfully I was already sitting, or else that would have been a rather awkward.

We've been trying to get to know each other while we waited for her husband. I've managed to get my mouth to work properly at least, and a bit of my arms, but the rest was still pretty much unresponsive. She asked me where I came from, and I tried to be as truthful to her as I could while eluding my alien origins.

I don't think saying that she just adopted someone from another dimension was a good way to open up a conversation.

I told her that I had no last name, and that I used to live in a place called Cedar Woods, near a town called McNeil. I told her some of the adventures that I and my friends went on, the one before Balio and Sunder ruined everything for us. I don't think that she liked the parts where I went into houses and just started grabbing stuff from shelves and chests when someone clearly owned them. It was kind of a habit that a friend of mine forced me into acquiring, back when food was still hard to come by.

"I can't wait to introduce you to my daughters." Summer said happily, eyes squinting and looking giddy. "I know that they'll love you, too."

I tried to force the awkward smile of mine to become more genuine, but I just felt a little uncomfortable meeting these new 'Sisters'. How do you talk about family when you never knew what one was like? Though, I suppose that I considered my old friends as family. Maybe it was something similar to that?

We both stopped our conversation when a man with blond hair and blue eyes came running into the room. He started searching frantically before his eyes landed on the woman beside me.

"Summer!" he called out excitedly, walking up quickly to the woman with his arms wide open.

My new mother met him halfway and returned the embrace, her arms wrapping around the man's mid-section. "Tai, I'm glad you came so quickly."

"Why wouldn't I?" the man asked, pulling away from the hug and holding Summer at arm's length. "After hearing the news I came here as fast as I could."

Summer grabbed Taiyang back into another hug, squeezing him tightly before letting go. "I'm so glad that you're just as excited about this as I am."

"Of course I am!" Taiyang grinned broadly, giving his wife a kiss on the lips. "Our family's getting a new addition. I bet the girls will be just as excited when they hear the news."

Summer nodded. "I hope so, too."

"So?" Taiyang asked. "When will the baby be due?"

Summer blinked, and so did I. "Tai, what are you talking about?" she asked.

"The baby; you know, the one that you said on the scroll?" Taiyang said in amusement at his wife. "Don't tell me you already forgot."

"I'm pregnant?" Summer asked with a tilt of her head. I looked at my new mother as well, surprised, and also a bit happy for her.

Taiyang blinked at his wife's confusion, now looking as baffled as her. "Isn't that what you called me for? You said that you had a surprise, and you said that we might be getting a new addition to the family soon. You told me to come to the hospital soon after that."

Summer and I blinked. Then, slowly, amusement started bubbling inside us. Summer started laughing at her husband's baffled face, and I couldn't help but look at the man with a small smile.

"Am I missing something here?" Taiyang asked, looking perturbed as he placed his hands on his sides.

When Summer stopped laughing she started to wipe the tear from her eyes. "I'm not pregnant, Tai." she said, amusement still dancing in her eyes.

"But you said you were." Taiyang said, pointing at his wife with some slight accusation.

"I never said that." Summer said with a grin.

"You said come to the hospital. You told me that you had a surprise. Then you told me that we were going to have another member joining our family." Taiyang repeated, looking lost as he started to slump his shoulders.

"I did say that." Summer nodded.

"I thought you were pregnant." Taiyang said lamely, looking almost crestfallen.

"I'm not."

Summer laughed as she cradled her husband's head on her chest, where she started rocking him like a child. Taiyang groaned and wrapped his arms around her, letting her treat him as she wanted.

"Come on, stop looking down." Summer said, moving her body to the side and pulling her husband close to the bed. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Taiyang looked confused for a moment, before his eyes followed the direction of where she was leading him. His eyes met mine and I gave him a weak wave of my hand as I smiled.

"Who's this?" he asked his wife.

"This," she said, walking away from her husband and sitting on the bed, where she once again took me into a one-arm hug. "This is our new family."

Taiyang gave me a flat look, something that made me a bit uncomfortable in receiving. "You're not a baby." he said in a flat tone.

I shrugged. "No, I'm not." I didn't really know what to say after that.

"Don't be like that, Tai." Summer said admonishingly. "Be nice and say hello to your new son."

Taiyang blinked and looked at his wife. Then he looked back to me. "Summer," he began, "Can we talk for a bit?"

Summer sighed when the blond man pointed at the door. She nodded her head before she turned to me. "Wait here for a bit, okay?" she said as she gave a reassuring squeeze.

I watched them both walk out and close the door. I heard their steps moving away, but not far enough to escape my hearing. My senses were a lot sharper than most people, sharper than most humans at least.

Leaning back into my pillow, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sounds around me. The strange machine by my side made a noise that resounded with my heartbeat. The city outside my window made a racket as these advanced looking vehicles came and went down this oddly flat road. Further into this concrete jungle the nightlife continued to bustle.

Then there were the voices outside. There was someone walking past my door, too heavy to be Summer's, but too light to be Taiyang's. They continued further down without stopping, and then disappeared around the corner, away from my range of hearing.

The halls of the hospital were a good medium to bounce the sounds that people emitted. They made echoes, even when you tried to whisper. Summer and Taiyang were talking quietly, above a whisper, but lower than normal in volume.

"Why?" I heard Taiyang drawl out in exasperation.

"Why not." came Summer's reply. She sounded snappy, like she didn't want to have the conversation.

"Why did you adopt him?" Taiyang asked. His words sent a tiny, but nonetheless painful, twinge in my chest. "I know you had a good reason, but I'd like to know why?"

"Are you saying that I shouldn't have?" Summer said impatiently. Her immediate defense made me happy, and also a bit hopeful that this would end well.

"That's not what I meant." I heard Taiyang sigh tiredly. "I don't have a problem with it, honestly. Heck, I bet Ruby would be thrilled to have a big brother, and Yang would finally have someone to play with at home when we set Qrow up for babysitting," That made me happy. At least there was a chance that my new siblings would happily welcome me to their home. "But I want to know what made you just… _suddenly_ adopt this kid. Did you know his parents?"

"No," Summer said. "He doesn't have parents. Ryu told me that he doesn't have any. He said that a couple of boys found him in the woods, without any memory of anything before, and they've been taking care of each other ever since."

Rei and Teepo, my brothers. We weren't siblings by blood, but Teepo had been a close relative of mine at least. He and I were from the same Clan, and we held pretty much the same abilities, though different in specialties. Rei had been a Woren, a man mixed with the characteristics of a tiger. He had been the leader of our group, and was pretty much our big brother.

"And where are these boys?" Taiyang asked curiously.

"He didn't want to talk about it." Summer said, "From the look on his face… and from what I saw when I found him outside the city, I don't think they're alive anymore."

Those words made me wince. I never really went into anything specific, but I did allude in my stories that Rei and Teepo were already gone. My brothers found me and took care of me even though they had already been having trouble in getting food. They gave me clothes and armor, even taught me how to fight.

I really miss them. Teepo died a tragic death, but at least Rei was able to live a fulfilling life.

"Okay, so he doesn't have anywhere else to go." I heard Taiyang say. "Now, my question is: Why did you just adopt him so suddenly, without even telling me first or Qrow?"

I strained my hearing, both eager and dreading the reason behind Summer's action. I knew that she was a kind woman, and I knew that she didn't mean me any harm. I could feel and see that in her eyes. However, my view on the world was tainted by Fou-lu's man had been used and lied to many times in his lifetime, and after becoming whole again I can't help but share the paranoia that he had acquired.

Had my new mother been truthful to me, or _are We to become yet another pawn in someone else's gain._

"I had a feeling." Summer whispered, her words almost too soft for me to hear properly.

"A feeling?" Taiyang asked, voicing my own question as well.

"Yeah." Summer said, "I had a feeling that Ryu is different, somehow. He gives off this air of… calmness, yet lonely at the same time. It resonated something inside me and it felt like he was so alone, and he didn't know what to do with himself. He almost reminds me of…"

"Of you?"

There was a pause, a moment of silence. It gave me a moment to think.

I didn't notice how I had been acting. It felt so long since I talked to someone so openly. The conversations of my two halves felt like a convoluted mess of memories, scenarios mixing with one another and the dates merging usually resulted in a migraine. Did I really seem like that to her?

"Like me…" Summer said quietly, I almost didn't hear her say it. "He looked so lost. You should have seen his eyes. You should have seen how he acted when we were talking. I can tell that he's trying to open up; I'm sure of it, but at the same time I can tell that he's keeping his guard up around me. It feels wrong to see eyes so old on someone so young."

"Summer…" Taiyang sighed before I heard movement, one figure moving closer to another.

"That boy has been through a lot, and not all of them are good. I want to change that, Tai." Summer said, her voice cracking. "I want him to trust me. I want him to open up to me and smile like any child should. I want those eyes of his to shine again."

"…"

Taiyang was quiet; I could imagine how speechless he was. Even I can't think of anything to say to that.

"The doctor called me a hero, you know…" I heard Summer say, her voice growing firm. "and I want to be his. That's why I adopted him. I want to save this child, this one, single, child. I want to bring a genuine smile to his face, one filled with happiness like any boy his age should."

"Summer," Taiyang said, "You're already a hero."

"I thought so, too." Summer said with a dry chuckle, "I thought that after becoming a Huntress I was already a hero. But the Grimm are still pushing us back. I had to leave so many people behind in missions. I saw their friends and families mourn for them. I saw people change and lose their smiles. I want to be a Hero. I want to be a True Hero for people like Ryu."

"Ruby and Yang think you're a Hero."Taiyang said in a kind, teasing tone.

"I know they do. I had to work hard for that image, you know." Summer said with a laugh.

"I also think you're a Hero." Taiyang said, his voice full of emotion. "You saved me once, remember? You saved me from that little pit that I kept digging into."

"You just needed someone to kick you back in gear."

"And I can't be more thankful to you for that." Taiyang said with a melancholic sigh. There was a moment of silence, one that almost stretched out into a minute. "I guess that's a good reason for adopting someone."

"So, you're not against it?"

"I never said I was." Taiyang said with a small laugh. "I was just asking for a reason. I also wanted to know if we were going to adopt some brat without any manners."

"You don't have to worry about that." Summer said, following her husband's laughter. "He's a very nice boy, surprisingly well mannered."

The two of them shared a laugh in the halls. This continued on for a while, them making jokes and jabs about parenthood, and I was content in just listening to them. I didn't mind if they took their time.

Back in my bed, I was too busy wiping away the tears that found themselves in my eyes. One hand tightly clutching the sheets, while the other trying desperately to erase the torrent of tears. But I was smiling.

"Thank you…"

I've already outlived my friends. I got torn from their world and was tossed into a situation that I did not want. I've made friends there as well, but they looked like a shadow of my old companions that it hurt just to remember my time with them. I thought that I had cast away a great power of mine in exchange for my mortality, but I was wrong. Now I was tossed into this new life in Remnant.

This life where I can finally experience what it's like to have parents. This life where there's a chance for me to escape the shadows of the past. I might finally be able to move on. In this family, with these two new people ready to help me, I might finally be able to find peace.

"Thank you…"

By the time that Taiyang and Summer were done with their talk, I was done crying and had already dried my tears. And, I think, for the first time in a very long while, I was finally able to truly smile again.


	3. Chapter 3

I frowned as I looked at my opponent. Dead bodies littered the ground surrounding the monster, their life-blood filling the cracks between the cobblestones. I was weary and almost out of supplies. My ammo cache barely had anything left in them, and my Aura was running out. The monster was large; larger than I am. It was an opponent that made me second-guess my choice in fighting it. I could choose to run if I wanted, but if that failed then I would be at its mercy, and I wasn't confident that I could take on a single hit from it without any grievous injury.

It was moments like this that I wish that I had more options. My elemental attacks would give me opportunities to control the flow of the fight, mastering the terrain and giving me advantages. My other abilities could have also enhanced my body in ways that would allow me to perform some impressive feats, way beyond what Aura could give me currently. But that wasn't a choice that I can pick. I had to make do with what I had and pray that I survive.

The monster before me was, ironically, a dragon. However, it was more like a living shadow that took the form of a large lizard with wings. Each breath it took generated a stream of fire from its mouth, scorching the earth in front of it. It was crouched low, its body made more for crawling than flight. Its wings were pitifully small, still as death, and ruined by the various holes that made up for its membrane. It glared at me through its bone-white face; the sockets where its eyes should be in were burning with crimson colored mists.

I knew that I had to fight it. It was my mission. Many have tried to kill it before, but now they lay dead around me and the beast.

 _Will I live, or will I die here?_

I clutched the long sword in my hands tighter, crouching low and ready. The blade glowed from the heat produced by the crystals embedded in its core; white, hot and hissing with steam.

 _Even with the beast vanquished, will it truly mean victory?_

The dragon growled, its body leaning lower to the ground. Its limbs coiled like a spring, ready to pounce.

 _At the concept of a fight without end, will you cower before it?_

I raised my sword high with both hands, above my head, and my Aura dwindled as I poured what I could into the blade. The beast roared at my action, its voice powerful enough to vibrate the air into a distorted pressure. Then it leaped.

"No!" I answered the beast with a roar of my own and ran forward with my body low. I dashed and spun, ducking under the beast's belly and swinging my sword into a spiral that followed my body's turn. My blade carved a massive gash on the monster's torso, and it failed to land on its legs.

I turned to face it after the exchange, and quickly jumped into the air to avoid its tail. With another roar I spun again, turning against the direction of the tail and meeting it with my blade. The heat of the crystals and the energy of my Aura proved themselves better against the monster's appendage, severing the tail in half.

The beast roared in agony and scrambled on its legs, turning towards me in haste. I leveled my sword towards it, the blade hissing through the air. I was ready. I will not fall here. My skills were better, my weapon sharper. I had the courage. I had the mind. I had the determination to push on and overcome the tide of monsters in this land.

"I will stand and fight!" I roared at the beast, "Even if the Danger is too great, even if the Evil is too strong, I will make a stand! The Darkness will not devour the Light!"

The dragon roared at the challenge, and I answered it with another one of my own. My spirits were high even if my Aura is low. My limbs shook, but not in weakness, but in overwhelming courage against my fear. I had something to fight for and that was the key to my victory.

With an unspoken signal, we charged. The beast opened its mouth, rows upon rows of jagged teeth met my vision, but I didn't hesitate. I continued to surge forward, heart beating fast and loud and unwilling to stop. And when the dragon's head was finally in range I-

* * *

I blinked and snapped out of my focus. 'Beats', there were definitely beats. But it wasn't my heart. I looked away from the game playing on the screen, the fight freezing mid-assault. The time displayed on the clock on the wall displayed that it was after school. Those knocks must be Ruby and Yang coming back.

"I'll get it!" Thankfully my new mother was there to get the door instead of me. I sighed before turning back to my game. I carved away at the boss Grimm, my chosen character was powerful thanks to hours and hours of relentless grinding. My equipment was well tempered and honed for speed and power, a build I found was crucial to games happening real-time. Even with my Party dead, I was confident that I could push my way to victory.

"Welcome back, girls!" I heard Summer say. Her greeting was returned by two voices, both young and high in pitch.

"Ryu!" I smiled as the younger of the two voices shouted, her voice coming closer and accompanied by the patter of small feet. I paused the game again and turned on my wheelchair, greeting a young girl wearing a tiny red cloak and hood. I freed one arm from the controller in my hands and gave her a hug when she was close enough to reach.

"Hello, Ruby." I said as our cheeks touched. "How was school?"

The little girl leaned back and smiled broadly. "It was great! Me and my friends played a lot!" I gave her another smile before we heard Summer call to her about having a snack in the kitchen. The little bundle of energy didn't even hesitate to move past me before she was off, talking rapidly to Summer beyond the divide of the living room. That, unfortunately, left me with the other girl that just got home.

I turned over to Yang, who was still by the door, bag clasped in her hand, and frowning at me. "Hello, Yang." I greeted, "Welcome back." The girl didn't say anything in return and only frowned deeper. She turned to the kitchen after Summer called her, not even bothering to look at me when she went inside for a snack. I could only sigh in return to that and go back to the game I was playing.

It's been a few weeks since I was adopted. Things were doing fine; most of the family was accepting, but the lower half of my body still refused to respond to my commands. I was confined to a wheelchair until I could move on my own; the device was something that my new parents generously gifted me before we left the hospital that evening.

We were living on a small island off the coast of Vale called Patch, just outside of the settlement located there. It was a nice and homey place that didn't really have much in terms of Grimm, so we was safe as long as we didn't wander too far from home. Though, with Summer being my Guardian in both sense of the word there was no chance of me actually being in danger.

Before I was able to gain some strength in my arms and body, not including my legs, Summer had spent most of her time helping me around my new accommodations. She took some time off her Hunting trips for the government and dedicated her efforts in integrating me into her family. It was nice, even though there were some embarrassing and awkward moments.

Taiyang had already accepted me as his son, and even little Ruby Rose was excited to have me. Another man, Qrow Branwen, my new uncle apparently, just took my presence in stride and went back to his hobby of draining his alcohol flask in one breath. Yang Xiao Long, my other new sister, was the only one in the family who seemed to dislike me. I didn't know her reason, even though the adults looked as if they knew, but I was willing to be patient with her until she came around. My new parents thought that I wouldn't understand given my child-ish new body.

I flicked my right thumb to the side, hitting with analog stick on the controller, and commanding my character to dodge in the same direction of the stick. The boss monster on the screen missed its lunging attack, and it only took a second for it to right itself to face me. But it was enough time for my character to dash towards the creature and deliver the final blow to end its life. A cutscene started playing as my character stood triumphantly over the beast, but his virtual face seemed forlorn as he looked around his dead comrades.

Scrolls, Televisions, Computers, digital devices and automated appliances; these were new things that I was starting to get used to. Back in my first life I had left technology to my more scholar inclined friend, Momo. She had been our group's tinker and engineer. My friend would have loved to live in this world, learning what she could and comparing them to what she knew in our world. Living here myself, I was left with no choice but to learn how to use them or end up embarrassing myself for life. Technology was an everyday utility here, and it was used in practically everything. I never would have imagined myself playing with one of these devices until Taiyang pressed a controller in my hands and invited me to join him in a racing game.

I ended up liking it a little too much, I think.

As the cutscene credits started appearing on the screen, I turned my attention to the other games that were stacked beside the game console. They were games that Qrow and Taiyang bought for their entertainment, but they were seldom played because of various responsibilities. That left them for Yang and Ruby to play, but the girls weren't really interested in them. Even though the games were impressive to look at and play, they usually paled in comparison to the spars between the Hunters that lived in the house.

Every weekend or so, the incomplete team of STRQ, pronounced as Stark not Streak, would test each others' skill in combat to keep them sharp. It was impressive, truth be told. The three of them fought fluidly, and I could tell based on their movements of their experience. Summer was quick and agile, Taiyang was fearless and brutal, and Qrow was sporadic and nigh unpredictable. It was impressive, acrobatic, entertaining, fast, flashy, wasteful, and rather bland as none of them took it seriously. Though Yang and Ruby could barely follow their movements, even as the adults were holding back, I had no trouble seeing the actions of each Hunter.

I've fought faster monsters before, even skilled Masters. I've faced gods with my friends and even killed one of them once upon a time. Watching the three Hunters play for the joy of the children, while entertaining, didn't really appeal to me. I was more used to life-or-death situations, and watching them fool around while barely showing anything interesting was what killed my curiosity. The video games, however, no matter how ridiculous and impossible some of them may be, had some hidden gems among their absurd skills and techniques. Thanks to my magic, I was thinking of trying out some of them as soon as my body would allow. My previous lives made me develop some wanderlust from travelling all around the globe, and with it a thirst for skills, techniques and spells.

I stared at the television screen with a forlorn sigh. Another game finished, another dozen of skills learned and theorized on how to make them work in my head, yet my body still won't let me perform them. The credits were finished, and the epilogue showed a possible sequel to the game. I turned towards the entrance to the kitchen when I heard Summer's heavier footsteps coming closer. "Saved another world from the evil Grimm?" she quipped.

I made an embarrassed laugh as I scratched my head. I sort of get too into the games that I play and end up spouting some nonsense to the TV. "You heard that, didn't you?"

My mother laughed at my expense and walked over to my wheelchair to give me a comforting hug. "You shouldn't be ashamed of the things that you say. In fact I found some of them rather inspiring myself."

From behind Summer's white cloak, a tiny pair of feet was standing still. Ruby's head then ducked under the cloth and popped her face up from behind our mother. "You say cool things, Ryu!" she loudly proclaimed, beaming a bright and childish smile towards me.

Summer laughed loudly and picked up her little daughter into a spin before she stopped in a pose. With one arm holding the little girl close and one finger pointed to the ceiling, my mother started saying some of the lines that I spoke during my games. "In the Darkness of the night I will be the Sun that shines in great Radiance! I will push back the Evil that threatens this world! Even if my Light fades into nothing, I will leave enough Hope for the many stars to bloom in the sky! Each and every star will be the sun of their worlds, to the homes that they wish to protect. We will continue to shine, to inspire, to bring Hope and fight the Evils of the Universe!" I slightly recalled saying them during the final boss battle of Mecha Fighter: Spire Drill.

I buried my face in my hands, face burning red, as Ruby followed her mother's cheer and laugh. My multiple lives have never prepared me to parental embarrassment. Though I loved Summer and Ruby very dearly, I really wish they wouldn't recall the things I said during my gaming sprees.

"Dork."

Then there was Yang Xiao Long with the killing blow. It took me some time and a bit of explanation from Summer to know what Dork meant, but I understood it soon enough. Even though Yang was doing it just to hurt my feelings, I was more embarrassed than hurt.

Summer frowned and turned to Yang with an admonishing look. "Don't fight with your brother, Yang."

The girl pouted and crossed her arms, turning away. "Not my brother." She grumbled.

My new mother's expression turned pensive as she looked at me to gauge my reaction. I met her eyes and merely shrugged. Yang wasn't wrong technically, and I was, frankly, getting used to how the girl disliked me. The little blonde was just my sister through paperwork, nothing else. Summer clapped her hands together to get our attention, mostly for Yang to turn to her. "Alright, since we're all here why don't we start our exercises?"

Yang and Ruby smiled brightly as the youngest one cheered. Ruby was out the front door before anyone could say anything and Yang was right behind her. Amusement was on my mother's face as she walked over behind my wheelchair to wheel me out along with them.

This was another routine that had gotten used to. During weekdays Yang and Ruby would go to a normal school and learn Basic Education. For competence, Summer told me. Then after school we'd all go out in the front yard or backyard to get a feel for our Aura.

I probably would have joined them in school, but given that I needed help moving around, it was decided that Summer and Taiyang would teach me what I needed to learn. That was, as soon as I figured out how to read and write their letters and numbers.

That had been a bit of a hurdle by the first two weeks. They thought I was illiterate, unable to read and write their language, not really surprising give my background that I describe to them. That wasn't quite accurate, though. I just used different symbols and strokes for the alphabet and numbers. It hadn't been too hard to learn; just remembering which symbol was associated to what type of sound. I still can't write a proper sentence without some grammar error, but at least I can read now somewhat. The games I play also let me practice regularly. It also helped that I wasn't new in learning new symbols and words. Fou-lu dabbled in some rituals back in his Emperor days and incorporated his magic along with runes. It might take some time getting used to the new structures of a sentence with the new letters and numbers, but that wasn't really odd to see on a seven-to-eight year old child.

I had to squint as soon as the afternoon sun washed over my eyes. I had been cooped up indoors all day playing games, at a safe distance, and the light from the sky stung a little bit more than it should. I found Ruby and Yang outside, already stretching their limbs in an exaggerated way. Summer laughed behind me as she saw what they were doing but didn't do anything to stop them. Children were still very flexible, and what the two little girls were doing wouldn't really do any harm on them unless they kept doing the same stretches as they grow older.

"Okay, you two come here and stand beside Ryu in a line." Summer motioned for the two little girls to come closer, turning my wheelchair to the side so that we were facing away from the house. Probably a good idea given what I can do. Ruby stopped to stand beside me, with Yang over on her other side. We all paid attention to Summer standing in front of us, who was standing with her hands on her hips and a playful smile on her lips. "Now, like usual, I want you to get a feel of your Aura and make it visible." She made a demonstration of this by making herself glow for a moment before making it disappear.

The two children and I nodded, but only Yang and Ruby started on our usual exercise. I looked at them first, their faces scrunching up with effort as they tried to reach out into themselves and to their Aura.

This had been our routine. At least once a day Summer would call us outside and train us with our Aura. For now, however, we were only training our ability to call on it. Yang and Ruby had their Aura unlocked the moment they decided that they wanted to be Hunters, like their parents. This happened even before I became part of the family. With every important adult in their lives being Hunters, I supposed that it wasn't odd for the two girls to be influenced to be like them.

Both Yang and Ruby continued to concentrate, and I had to stop myself from laughing at them. Their expressions were tight, and their entire bodies were tense. But in all honesty, though, both of them looked like they needed to use the toilet badly. Summer didn't share my restraint, though, and was openly laughing at the two of them. When she turned to me I gave her a shrug and a glow of my entire body before letting it fade. I didn't let a twitch appear on my face to indicate how much that moment hurt for me. I just turned back and watched my two sisters try their best to consciously tap into their Aura.

It still hurt to actively reach out to my Magic/Aura/Soul. My new body still can't take the power of my millennium-old spirit. Even now there was a dull throb all over my body as my passive Aura continued to circulate throughout my insides. It's been getting better and better by the weeks, and it would probably take the rest of the year for me to be able to use my legs again and for the pain to fully recede. I've never spoken about it with anyone, but I had some suspicions that Summer knew about it. She'd make the same expression whenever we talk about my Aura, the look that first started when she saw the scar on the right side of my back made by the Dragon Slayer sword; the only weapon that I know that could kill my kind.

I pursed my lips in slight distaste. I really disliked that sword; made by mortals to kills gods. Not that it carried a lot of power. It was just like any sword, as far as I knew since the other half of my soul used it once, but what made it different was that it could cut the soul of an Endless through their physical bodies, or at least the Essence of what made us what we are. That would explain the mark that it left on my back even with a new body. I never really found out where the blade came from. Was it a ritual sword, a cursed blade from the countless lives used in summoning me, or maybe it siphoned the powers of the Endless in the air that permeated the world which allowed it to gain the ability to hurt us? Nevertheless, I really just don't like that sword and the people who used it.

"I did it!" Ruby cheered loudly, watching her body blink red a few times before losing focus. Yang had a pout on her face as she still hadn't been able to do it for the day. She glanced at me from over Ruby's head and scowled at what she saw there. I wasn't glowing, but I wasn't upset either. I've already given up on impressing Yang with some tricks that I knew from my previous lives (predicting if an egg was boiled or fresh without holding them). They only seemed to make her dislike me more. Only Ruby had seemed enamored by them, so that's at least one of the two people that I wanted to impress.

"Very good, Ruby!" Summer cheered along with her daughter, clapping her hands. "You're getting faster at this. At this rate you'll probably know your Semblance by the time you start at Signal."

I smiled at the looked of enthusiasm on the little girl's face at the mention of Taiyang and Qrow's workplace. Signal Academy was where the aspiring Hunters of Vale, and settlements close by, begin their training. After finishing the Basic Education that was mandatory for all children to learn, they would be given the opportunity to apply to Signal for a year. In that year the children would decide whether or not they would continue their training for intermediate courses or if they just weren't fit for the task of being Hunters. Everyone was given a chance to learn and fight, but only basics were drilled for the first year.

Everyone was given a chance, a _Fair_ chance, to choose the between the life of a Hunter or something else. Not everyone could be a Hunter, and the school used the first year to weed out those who didn't have the dedication to pursue the job.

"What about him?" Yang asked, pointing at me. "I didn't see him do anything."

I was caught by surprise by Yang's attention. Summer and I exchanged wondering looks, but thankfully I didn't have to say anything. "Ryu can already do this exercise, Yang." Summer said, "He's been doing it with the two of you for weeks now. A little easier than you two can, in fact."

Yang's dislike of me only seemed to rise from that. "That's not fair!" Yang cried. "We've been doing this longer than him!"

Unless she was over two thousand years old, then I really don't think so. I saw Summer sigh at the girl's complaint. "Yang, just because Ryu can reach for his Aura faster than you can doesn't mean that he's better at it than you are." Summer said, lecturing the little blonde, "Because of his condition he's practically brimming with Aura, but it hurts him every time he does this exercise."

Yang looked at me, clearly not believing it. "That's a lie." She said, "How can Aura hurt you? Dad said that Aura protects you and keeps you safe. How can it hurt him?"

"By having a lot of it." Summer said, walking over and crouching down to be at Yang's eyelevel. She then proceeded to poke the blonde on her belly. "Like a tummy-ache. You know how that hurts, right Yang? When you have too much food in your tummy you get a tummy-ache. Because your stomach can't process them all it hurts."

Yang was pouting, but it looked like she took Summer's words into consideration. As for the example given… I was rather bemused how close it was to what was actually happening. The Food was the Aura, and Digesting was the process of my body adapting the Food into something that my body can use. Summer must've only used that analogy for Yang's sake, for her to understand.

I looked down at the hand that was resting on my arm. Looking up to the owner, Ruby was giving me a worried face. "You have a tummy-ache?"

I don't know whether to melt in my seat or have a heart attack right now. My little sister is just so adorable. "If you give me a hug, Ruby, then I might feel better." I said.

Beaming happily, my cute little sister eagerly climbed up to my wheelchair and wrapped her arms around me, holding for dear life for the health of her older brother. I gave Summer a shameless grin as I returned Ruby's hug, no matter how displeased Yang looked at me because of it.

"He doesn't look hurt." Yang grumbled.

"That's because Ruby's helping him recover." Summer said, watching in amusement as Ruby and I wiggled in our seat in a cuddle. "You could help out too, Yang."

"I don't wanna."

Summer pursed her lips before she shrugged. "Suit yourself, young lady. You two, make room for mommy!"

Ruby giggled as we both made room for our mother in the chair, moving over to the sides and letting her take the center of the wheelchair. She wrapped us both in her arms and laughed along with her daughter. I tried my best to follow along with the cheer, but I couldn't seem to find it in me to be happy at the moment. With the three of us sitting in the chair, there wasn't any room left for Yang to join in even if she wanted.

Based on the girl's face, she also noticed the same thing.


End file.
